Between Books - Walt Disney's Ultimate Inventor: The Genius of Ub Iwerks

Disney history is full of larger-than-life characters such as Bob Gurr, Marc Davis, Rolly Crump, and even Walt Disney himself. But while Ub Iwerks may not be a name known to every Disney fan, his contributions to early Disney history are irreplaceable and placed next to Walt and Roy O. Disney on the Mount Rushmore of Disney legends.

Walt Disney’s Ultimate Inventor: The Genius of Ub Iwerks by Don Iwerks is a highly visual history of the co-creator of Mickey Mouse. The text is broken into six key sections highlighting different phases of Iwerks’ life. The opening outlines Iwerks early life and animation work which included meeting Walt Disney in Kansas City, a failed partnership, and Disney asking him to join him in California. During this first stint at Disney, Iwerks would create the Mickey Mouse design and lead the development of the innovative Silly Symphonies. After a disagreement, Iwerks formed his own studio best known for Flip the Frog. Iwerks would return to the Walt Disney Studio, not as an animator but using his skill and curious nature to create special effects which included Aerial Image Optical Printers, sodium traveling matte, and Xerox processes in animation just to name a few. As Walt Disney expanded his parks, Iwerks used his knowledge of cameras to create Circarama and Circle-Vision 360. The younger Iwerks provides images and schematics along with personal know-how to explain the innovations that helped define his father's genius.

This book is personal and visual. Disney Legend Don Iwerks is writing a very personal story about his father. Oh yes, there is definitely respect and nostalgia. But Don as a member of the machine shop was also a colleague to Ub. So along with understanding the personal man, he also understands the very complicated inventions that his father dreamed up. In many ways, it’s the best of two perspectives, and Don makes his bias clear. Though that bias never seems to get in the way of his writing. And technical expertise is really needed to help explain these numerous mechanical changes. For example, I am not a camera expert. I don’t believe that most readers will be. So having Iwerks walk us through the tech, as someone who often contributed to the manufacturing of them, is completely necessary. Luckily this oversized coffee table book has numerous images which help illustrate the developments. For those who are not interested in technical details and want another starting point on Ub Iwerks’ life, The Hand Behind the Mouse is likely a better starting point and is co-written by his granddaughter.

Walt Disney’s Ultimate Inventor: The Genius of Ub Iwerks by Don Iwerks taught me a lot about cameras…and Ub Iwerks. While I have read biographies of this legend, this text has a personal touch and technical understanding that I would urge Disney history fans to not sleep on. And while we may struggle at times with technical developments, Don Iwerks helps us overcome them to better understand his father’s genius allowing us to better understand an innovator that has helped shaped animation, cinema, and theme parks. 

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Between Books - Polishing the Dragons

 

 

Mistakes were made.

And I made a giant one when reading Polishing the Dragons.

Polishing the Dragons: Making Epcot’s “Wonders of China” by Jeff Blyth recounts Blyth’s roll in directing, writing and leading the team in creating the Circle-Vision 360 films which was displayed for over 20 years.  Blyth provides a detailed account of the production of the film based on notes he kept when making the film in the 1980s.  Blyth discusses how the film came to be, his pre-production scouting and the actual filming in China.  He also discusses his contributions to the refreshing of the film to become “Reflections of China” which replaced it.  Along with Blyth’s text, he includes numerous color photos of locations, scenes and the crew working to create this long-lasting Epcot production.

Did I mention I made a mistake?  Okay, maybe I made at least two. 

Mistake number one, in all my trips to Disney I have never watched a Circle-Vision 360 film.  I can give excuses, but in the end it is just true.   To me the novice, Blyth demonstrated to me that these productions are complex and challenging.  Blyth takes his readers through site selection, how can one get a strong 360 degree shot and hide the crew?  He shows how hard actual filming can be, as one has to keep 9 cameras level with clean lenses and enough film to capture the moment.  Oh and for Blyth’s adventure, how do you explain how this process works to an inexperienced crew who has never seen a 360 degree film through a language barrier.  And maybe the American crew members are not overly excited with all the country has to offer.  The reader is left with an understanding of the complexity of these productions and the dedication of the crew to complete the process and meet their deadlines.  I will make sure that next time I am at Epcot I will see a 360 film.

Blyth’s writing also gives us insight into a time in China’s history largely hidden from the West.  Blyth was an American in China during a time where the country was largely closed.  So his experiences were often unique with him visiting areas largely unseen by other Westerners.  We also get a window to negotiations with the People’s Republic of China who in the 1980s were using this film to help introduce the world to their nation.  But at times, it is clear they very much wished to control that introduction.  And yet Blyth may have been the one Westerner to claim a victory over the People’s Liberation Army at this time with him getting some filming concessions.  For those interested in Chinese history, this is an enjoyable and informative first-person narrative of this time period.

Mistake number two, I read this as a Kindle book on Kindle Unlimited.  Now I love seeing a Disney history title in the service but I should have paid for the physical book.  The Kindle really does not highlight the images and for me they were to small to explore.  The page also makes it clear that this is not printed on normal paper but has a stylized layout and mood that screams personal journal to me.  Bamboo Forest Publishing put considerable design effort into this production.  Despite generally being happy with reading Kindle books, I just wish I had read it as a physical book.

Mistakes were made in reading Polishing the Dragons.  I really enjoyed this text which allowed me to travel to a part of the world that currently is barred to me due to global travel restrictions at a time in history where it was largely hidden to the West.  And I learned about both film production and the specialized Circle-Vision process.  This text is one that I highly recommend to Disney fans and even non-Disney fans interested in China or film production. 

 This post contains affiliate links, which means that Between Disney receives a percentage of sales purchased through links on this site.